Tension drapery

ABSTRACT

A tension drapery employs a pair of spaced-apart trackways for receiving and guiding a plurality of drapery carriers which support the drapery under tension. The trackways are mounted at an angle to the vertical requiring additional tensioning of the drapery to prevent sag of the material. The drapery has hinged apparatus adjacent the trackways to assist in defining and maintaining elongate folds therebetween. Alternate hinge sections have drapery attachment apparatus for releasably engaging mounting rods of the individual carriers. The carriers of a trackway are serially connected by cross-coupled wire springs received in each carrier by means forming shaped cavities which prevent the wire springs from turning in a reverse direction upon folding of the drapery.

United States Patent Roller [54] TENSION DRAPERY [72] Inventor; Max F. Roller, Lincolnwood, 111.

[73] Assignee: Art Drapery Studios, Inc., Chicago,

22 Filed: March 30, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 23,627

[52] Cl. ..160/84, 160/126, 160/172, 160/329 [51] 1nt.,Cl... .......A47h 5/00 [58] Field of Search 160/84, 84.2 TH, 84.2 TH, 160/172, 173, 175, 176, 345, 346, 347, 348,

loo/ 4.2 TV 87.8, 93, 94,95

[ 51 Oct. 3, 1972 2,848,045 8/1958 Bennett ..160/ 172 3,045,747 7/1962 Hill ..160/331 3,159,204 12/1964 Kruell ..160/168 3,173,169 3/1965 George 160/330 X 3,369,589 '2/ 1968 Benkert, Jr. ..160/84 3,399,713 9/1968 Wilson ..160/348 2,717,033 9/ 1955 Breslow et a1 ..160/84 R Primary Examiner-David .l. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-Philip C. Kannan Attorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT A tension drapery employs a pair of spaced-apart trackways for receiving and guiding a plurality of drapery carriers which support the drapery under tension. The trackways are mounted at an angle to the vertical requiring additional tensioning of the drapery to prevent sag of the material. The drapery has hinged apparatus adjacent the trackways to assist in defining and maintaining elongate folds therebetween. A1- temate-hinge sections have drapery attachment apparatus for releasably engaging mounting rods of the individual carriers. The carriers of a trackway are serially connected by cross-coupled wire springs received in each carrier by means forming shaped cavities which prevent the wire springs from turning in a reverse direction upon folding of the drapery.

12 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEOnms m2. 3.695.329

' SHEET 1 OF 6 /Z INVENTOR I 5 MA)! f Rom /z PATENTEDncI 3 I972 SHEET 2 BF 6 INVENTOR. A/AX F @0440? L 51 Jll PATENTEDnma m2 SHEET 6 OF 6 1 TENSION DRAPERY 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to tension drapery systems, and in particular to drapery systems wherein the drapery material is maintained under tension and wherein the carriers for moving the material are serially interconnected to provide a movable carrier train.

2. Description of the Prior Art Motorized curtains in the form of vertically movable and horizontally movable drapery are well known in the art. Drapery constructed for vertical draw may be found in many movie theatres wherein the drapery material is secured at its upper edge and drawn vertically by ropes or strands connected to its lower edge with the intermediate portions of the material slidably connected to the strands for gathering. Horizontally operated draperies are readily found in both commercial and residential applications wherein the drapery material is dependingly supported frorn'a plurality of carriers which run in a horizontal tracl'o 7 Generally speaking, the aforementioned types of drapery applications and their corresponding constructions utilize straight forward techniques in that the drapery material is suspended and hangs on its own weight to maintain the desired shapes or folds. However, the suspension of large amounts of drapery material at an angle from the vertical presents unique problems in drapery construction in that not only must the drapery material be guided at both its upper and lower edges, but that it also must be placed under sufficient tension to prevent sag due to the weight of the material while at the same time providing for ease of operation and maintaining the' desired folds therein.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide new and improved drapery apparatus for mounting and transporting drapery at an angle to the vertical.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for tensioning and transporting drapery.

his a further object of the invention to provide apparatus for storing fully opened drapery in the smallest possible volume, with the attendant object of storing the drapery in the smallest possible volume through the unique construction and interconnection of a plurality of drapery carriers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION guided in the associated trackway. Each carrier includes a rod portion which extends from the trackway to the drapery material whereat it releasably engages the corresponding one of the hinge elements.

The rods are freely received through the frame of their respective carriers and coupled thereto by spring means for tensioning the drapery material to prevent sag of the material due to its own weight .when the drapery is mounted at an angle from the vertical.

The carriers of a traekway which are connected to the same draperypanel are serially connected to form a train of carriers within the trackway by apparatuswhich is constructed to fold, out of the way and present 7 no additional volume to the carriers when the drapery is in a fully opened condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, and features of the invention, its organization, construction and operation, will be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a multi-bay drapery installation; I

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation of a single bay of the construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the hinge and carrier connection positions for drapery constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of one edge of drapery constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are elevational and plan views, respectively', of a hinge element for use as illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a developed view of a portion of the apparatus for connecting the drapery to the carriers of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 7, shown folded ready to receive the be secured to the edge of the drapery;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the lower trackway and an associated carrier and its connection to the drapery;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are side views of adjacent carriers diagrammatically illustrating the form and function thereof and the connection apparatus therebetween;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of apparatus for raising and adjustably mounting the upper trackway;

FIG. 1 l is a sectional view taken along the line XI- XI of FIG. 10, particularly illustrating clamping apparatus for securing the upper trackway;

FIG. 12 is an elevation of a plurality of the apparatus of FIG. 10 shown just prior to receiving the upper trackway; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating the driving motors and their control apparatus for a plurality of drapery bays, such as indicated in FIG. I.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A series of window boys is illustrated in FIG. 1 and generally referenced 10, comprising a plurality of draperies ll, 12 and 13 disposed generally parallel to a corresponding plurality of windows 14, 15 and 16 which extend between vertical wall portions 17, 18, 19 and 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the draperies in a particular installation were supported at an angle to the vertical in a compatible parallel relationship with the corresponding window by an upper track assembly 21 and a lower track assembly 22. As an example of the weight and forces which may be involved in such a construction, but in no way limiting the present invention to such particular constructions, one such drapery installation for center-draw type construction was advantageously employed for window bays of approximately 35 feet in width and 60 feet in height and disposed at an angle 9 from the vertical as illustrated in FIG. 2. It is readily apparent that such an installation requires a tremendous amount of drapery material, and that the attendant weight of such material proposes particular problems with respect to sag toward the vertical, and the elimination of such sag presents problems in providing for ease in transporting the material, that is, in drawing the drapery.

In order to properly tension the material evenly across the width thereof and maintain the desired folds therein, the drapery is provided with a plurality of hinge elements which are serially connected and disposed along the upper and lower edges of the drapery. FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate such hinge apparatus. FIG. 3, for example, is a diagrammatic plan view for a center close type drapery construction comprising a pair of drapery sections or panels 12a and 12b, each of which include a plurality of pivot points 23 which define the desired folds in the drapery material, and a plurality of connection points 24 for connecting the panels 12a, 12b for traverse.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the connections to the drapery panels in greater detail wherein a drapery panel 12a has included in the fabric 25 a plurality of hinge elements 26 which are serially, pivotally connected at pivots 23 formed by hinge pins which extend through holes 30, 31 and 32 formed by hinge loops 27, 28 and 29, respectively, at opposite ends of the hinge elements 26. The connection points 24 are further defined as comprising a U-shaped member 35 (FIGS. 7 and 8) having a pair of aligned apertures 37 and 38 therein for receiving a pin or rivet 34. The U-shaped member 35 embraces the drapery at the mid-section of alternate hinge elements such that an aperture 33 in said alternate elements is aligned with apertures 37 and 38 of the member 35, which aperture 33 also receives the rivet 34.

As indicated in FIG. 4, the connection of the drapery to an associated carrier and trackway system is provided by means of rod members 36. This is a releasably engageable connection which is better illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 wherein it is shown that the member 35 also includes a T-shaped slot therein, the vertical leg of the T being disposed in both a vertical and horizontal leg of the U of the U-shaped form of the member 35. The rod 36 is shown in FIG. 9 as having an expanded head portion 40; the head portion 40 being received by the cross bar of the T and the shank of the rod 36 by the vertical leg of the T in attaching and detaching the drapery and the rod 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the rod 36 is illustrated as further including a threaded end portion 41 which extends through and is coupled to a carrier frame 42 having wheels 43 and 44 rotatably mounted thereon for rolling in track grooves 45 and 46, respectively, of the trackway system. The carriage includes a compression spring 54 which encircles the shank of the rod 36 and bears against the carriage frame 42 and a bearing 55 which is secured in place by a nut 41'. The nut 41 in cooperation with the threaded portion 41 of the rod 36 provides means for adjusting the tension of the individual connections to the drapery through the media of the compression spring 54, while the bearing 55 aids in transporting the drapery along the trackway system by permitting the rod 36 to freely twist with respect to the carriage spring 42.

Adjacent carriers are interconnected as shown in FIGS. 9A and 98 by a pair of members 56 disposed on each side and at each end thereof. One end of the members includes loop portions 56a which are pivotally connected to the carriage frame 42 by pins 42a and disposed in shaped cavities 42b having angularly disposed edges 42c.

Adjacent members 56 have the loops 56b pivotally connected together by pins or rivets 560 so that a moving carriage pulls the following carriage after movement of twice the length of a member 56 to provide the proper spacing, and hence the desired fold of the drapery as it is operated to be unfolded from its stored condition.

Attention is invited that the shaped surfaces 42c (best illustrated in FIG. 9A) prevent the members 56 from achieving a horizontal position and maintain the associated pairs of members at an angle during the last mentioned traverse so that they refold in the same direction upon movement of the drapery toward its storage position. Rather than attempting to flip" toward the drapery material, as could happen if the cavities were to permit the members to become horizontal or exceed travel past the horizontal, the members fold into their respective trackway.

Attention is particularly invited that the disposition of the members 56 within the cavities and the structure whereby the members 56 fold through and about each other (FIG. 9A) pennits abutment of the carrier frames when the drapery is placed in its fully open or storage condition so that no portion of the total storage stack of the drapery can be attributed to the carrier equipment. Hence, the total storage volume of the drapery is primarily dependent upon the drapery material itself.

As previously mentioned, the carriages rollingly engage and are guided by the trackway grooves 45 and 46. These grooves are formed in L-shaped extruded aluminum trackway members 47 and 48 which are secured by screws 49 to a generally U-shaped member 50 having legs 51 and 52 and a base 53. The L-shaped track members 47 and 48 include formed portions 57 and 59 which are received by correspondingly formed portions 58 and 60, respectively, of the U-shaped member 50 for correct alignment of the trackway.

The U-shaped member 50 of the lower trackway system is secured to the floor or equivalence supporting surface by a shaped bracket 61 which receives floor mountedstuds 64 and 65 therethrough, the studs 64 and 65 having corresponding nuts 66 and 67 for affixing the members 61 to the floor 68. The U-shaped member 50 is secured to the member 61 by a pair of screws 62 and 63. The lower trackway system includes a plurality of mounting members, such as members 61 spaced-apart along the trackway as needs for such securement dictate.

The lower trackway system is provided with apparatus for concealing the same generally referenced as 69 and 70 herein, and which form no part of the present invention. The apparatus 69 and 70 provide an elongate slot 71 which is generally aligned with an elongate slot 72 formed by the L-shaped members 47 and 48 for permitting the rods 36 to travel the length of the trackway.

The upper trackway-system may be identical to that of the lower trackway. system, with the exception that when a drapery construction is to include suspension of the drapery at an angle to the vertical, and when the drapery is heavy and may require a certain amount of installation adjustment, the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 10, l l and 12 has proved highly advantageous.

As noted above, the upper trackway may take the identical form of the lower trackway, however, since the mounting apparatus is different, the upper trackway has been given the reference numeral 92 in FIGS. -12.

During installation, apparatus for supporting the upper trackway issecured to the building above and adjacent the window to be covered and comprises, at a plurality of spaced-apart stations, apair of L-shaped members 73 which also have L-shaped cross-sections, the L-shaped member 73being secured to the building, generally referenced74, to receive therebetween a T- shaped member 75 secured thereto by a screw and bolt assembly 75a in, an adjustable relationship provided by an elongate slot 75b. "A pair of rods-76 (only'one shown) each includes athreaded end 77 which extends 80. The adjustments at elements 75a, 75b, 78,79 and 80 are utilized to provide the proper angle to the drapery.

The upper trackway 92 has the drapery releasably attached thereto in the same manner as the lower trackway and during installation is suspended from the drawn up into position by a plurality of cables 100 fed over pulley apparatus 101 and taken up by a permanent or a portable mechanism 102. The other ends of the cables 100 are attached by apparatus 99 to corresponding clamps 81 which hold the upper trackway 92. The upper trackway and drapery is drawn up into position by the apparatus 100-102 so that the C-shaped section 82 of the clamps 81 slidably receive the T-shaped member 75, and then further drawn up to the approximate final desired position with the aforementioned members being yet pivotal at points 80 and 75a.

Upon reaching the approximate desired position, J- shaped bars 94 have their hook ends 95 extended through an aperture 93 and a threaded end 96 extended through a member 98 which is secured to the T- shaped member75. The threaded end 96 is provided with an adjustment nut 97 for drawing the clamp 98 to the desired position, at which time locking bolts and nuts such as 83, 84, 85 and 86, are tightened to secure the clamp 81 to the T-shaped bar 75. The other locking members 75a, 78 and 79 are then secured to make the structure rigid.

For cleaning, a substantially reverse operation would take place and the power pickup apparatus, generally 7 referenced 102, would lower the upper carrier to a level where theupper edge of the drapery could be.

detached from the individual carriers.

The draperyis driven in a manner very similar to other known drapery constructions wherein the first carrier is connected to a driven rope orstrand to inturn either pull or push the remaining carriers in the desired direction of travel. For this action a motorized driving system including limit switches connected in a manner such as is well known in the art will suffice. FIG. 23 illustrates one approach for controlling individually a plurality of draperies and for controlling the draperies.

simultaneously. The apparatus comprises a plurality of motorized driving units 108a-108g connected to a suitable power source at 106 through a corresponding ble control conductors 109, 110, 111 and 117 which are connected to individual control switch units 112:

having a plurality of switches 1 13-115 therein. As illustrated herein, switch 113 controls the opening of the; drapery, switch 114 controls the closing of the drapery,;

and switch 115 controls the stopping of a moving drapery at any desired position. Each of the drive units also has a plurality of relay contacts, such as contact 116 connected thereto for control from a central point by way of a switch unit 123 having a plurality of switches 124-126 similar to switches 113-115 of switch unit 112. A transformer 120 has its primary winding 121 connected to a suitable source for extending the electrical supply by way of the secondary winding 122, switch unit 123 and conductors, such as 119 and 127 to the relays, in this example relay 119. Closure of switch 126 will cause operation of relay 118, corresponding closure of its contact 116 and stopping of the operation of the drive unit 108a. It is readily apparent that switches 124 and 125, through the intermediary of their corresponding relays, control opening and closing of the various draperies.

Many changes and modifications may be made in the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is to be understood that it is intended that the patent warranted hereon include all such changes and modifications which reasonably come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A drapery carrier arrangement for movement in a trackway, comprising a plurality of carrier frames for connection to a drapery aligned in the trackway and each including means forming cavities therein in portions adjacent the next aligned frame, and connecting means for connecting said frames in series, said connecting means including at least one pair of connecting links between each pair of adjacent frames pivotally connected together and pivotally connected to the corresponding frames within the cavities thereof to permit abutment of the frames while maintaining the connecting links therebetween, at least one link of each said pair of links including means defining an opening therein for receiving the other link of the same pair of links therethrough when said frames connected thereby are in abutment, and said means forming said cavities comprises a wall of each cavity that is disposed to prevent the associated connecting link from pivoting to a horizontal position.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising at least one pair of wheels mounted on each of said carrier frames for rolling engagement with the trackway.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of rods, each associated with a separate frame for connecting at one end thereof to the drapery, a threaded portion at the other end of each said rod, a plurality of nuts for engaging the threaded portion of separate ones of said rods, and a plurality of springs each of which bears against a carrier frame and the nut of the associated rod for tensioning the drapery.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of rods for connection to the drapery, each of said rods associated with a separate frame, a plurality of spring means each associated with a separate rod, and a plurality of adjustable clamping means each on a separate rod and clamping a spring means to bear against said frame and the associated rod to tension the drapery.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprisin a separate drapery connecting rod associated with each said frame, and separate means associated with each said frame for adjustably connecting the associated rod and frame.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein each of said separate means adjustably-connecting the associated rod and frame comprises a spring surrounding the rod and bearing on the frame, a rotation bearing surrounding the rod and bearing against the spring, a threaded end of the rod, and a nut abutting said rotation bearing and adjustable along said threaded end of the rod to vary the compression of said spring and the tension on the drapery.

7.;A drapery carrier arrangement for movement in a trackway, comprising:

a plurality of aligned wheeled carriages to run in the trackway, each of said carriages comprising a carrier frame, a rod for connection to a drapery pivotally and telescopically connected to said carrier frame, means for resiliently tensioning the drapery via the corresponding rod, and means defining cavities in said frame in portions adjacent [the next aligned frame;

means for connecting said carrier frames in series,

said connecting means comprising at least one pair of connecting links between each pair of adjacent carrier frames pivotally connected together and pivotally connected to the corresponding frames within the cavities thereof to permit abutment of the frames while maintaining the connecting links therebetween, at least one link of each said pair of links including means defining an opening therein to receive the other link of the same pair of links therethrough when the frames connected thereby are in abutment, said means defining the cavities comprises a wall of each cavity that is disposed to prevent the associated connecting link from pivoting to a horizontal position; and

hinge means secured to an edge of the drapery and including a plurality of hinge elements serially pivotally connected to define folds in the drapery, said rods connected to individual alternate hinge elements, each of said hinge elements comprising a bar, and hinge pin receiving loops at each end of said bar with the respective centers of said loops lying on opposite sides of said bar to permit comactin of the dra e folds. 8. iAppar atus accor in g to claim 7, wherein each of said rods is pivotally connected to its corresponding hinge element.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, comprising swivel connecting means for connecting each said rod to its corresponding hinge element.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, comprising a plurality of rod connecting means each secured to the corresponding hinge element and including means forming a T-shaped aperture therein, and wherein each said rod includes a shank and a head for releasable engagement with said T-shaped aperture for attaching and detaching the drapery.

11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said rods includes a threaded end and a stop threaded thereon, said means for resiliently tensioning comprises a spring encircling said rod and bearing against said frame and said stop.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each said stop comprises a bearing means permitting arcuate movement of said spring about its rod. 

1. A drapery carrier arrangement for movement in a trackway, comprising a plurality of carrier frames for connection to a drapery aligned in the trackway and each including means forming cavities therein in portions adjacent the next aligned frame, and connecting means for connecting said frames in series, said connecting means including at least one pair of connecting links between each pair of adjacent frames pivotally connected together and pivotally connected to the corresponding frames within the cavities thereof to permit abutment of the frames while maintaining the connecting links therebetween, at least one link of each said pair of links including means defining an opening therein for receiving the other link of the same pair of links therethrough when said frames connected thereby are in abutment, and said means forming said cavities comprises a wall of each cavity that is disposed to prevent the associated connecting link from pivoting to a horizontal position.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising at least one pair of wheels mounted on each of said carrier frames for rolling engagement with the trackway.
 3. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of rods, each associated with a separate frame for connecting at one end thereof to the drapery, a threaded portion at the other end of each said rod, a plurality of nuts for engaging the threaded portion of separate ones of said rods, and a plurality of springs each of which bears against a carrier frame and the nut of the associated rod for tensioning the drapery.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of rods for connection to the drapery, each of said rods associated with a separate frame, a plurality of spring means each associated with a separate rod, and a plurality of adjustable clamping means each on a separate rod and clamping a spring means to bear against said frame and the associated rod to tension the drapery.
 5. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a separate drapery connecting rod associated with each said frame, and separate means associated with each said frame for adjustably connecting the associated rod and frame.
 6. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein each of said separate means adjustably connecting the associated rod and frame comprises a spring surrounding the rod and bearing on the frame, a rotation bearing surrounding the rod and bearing against the spring, a threaded end of the rod, and a nut abutting said rotation bearing and adjustable along said threaded end of the rod to vary the compression of said spring and the tension on the drapery.
 7. A drapery carrier arrangement for movement in a trackway, comprising: a plurality of aligned wheeled carriages to run in the trackway, each of said carriages comprising a carrier frame, a rod for connection to a drapery pivotally and telescopically connected to said carrier frame, means for resiliently tensioning the drapery via the corresponding rod, and means defining cavities in said frame in portions adjacent the next aligned frame; means for connecting said carrier frames in series, said connecting means comprising at least one pair of connecting links between each pair of adjacent carrier frames pivotally connected together and pivotally connected to the corresponding frames within the cavities thereof to permit abutment of the frames while maintaining the connecting links therebetween, at least one link of each said pair of links including mEans defining an opening therein to receive the other link of the same pair of links therethrough when the frames connected thereby are in abutment, said means defining the cavities comprises a wall of each cavity that is disposed to prevent the associated connecting link from pivoting to a horizontal position; and hinge means secured to an edge of the drapery and including a plurality of hinge elements serially pivotally connected to define folds in the drapery, said rods connected to individual alternate hinge elements, each of said hinge elements comprising a bar, and hinge pin receiving loops at each end of said bar with the respective centers of said loops lying on opposite sides of said bar to permit compacting of the drapery folds.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said rods is pivotally connected to its corresponding hinge element.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 7, comprising swivel connecting means for connecting each said rod to its corresponding hinge element.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 7, comprising a plurality of rod connecting means each secured to the corresponding hinge element and including means forming a T-shaped aperture therein, and wherein each said rod includes a shank and a head for releasable engagement with said T-shaped aperture for attaching and detaching the drapery.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said rods includes a threaded end and a stop threaded thereon, said means for resiliently tensioning comprises a spring encircling said rod and bearing against said frame and said stop.
 12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each said stop comprises a bearing means permitting arcuate movement of said spring about its rod. 